


Skating Lessons

by jacksparrow589



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, there is no plot; only Shirbert fluff, they're just a pair of snow-encrusted idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24634912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksparrow589/pseuds/jacksparrow589
Summary: "Not a chance." Anne didn't have to raise her voice go be heard across the frozen pond; Gilbert could hear her just fine."It's just like everything else you've done today! It'll only be a few more steps, Anne; I promise," he assured her."A few more steps?! You'remilesaway! Leagues!" Anne pouted.Gilbert laughed. "If you put half as much effort into your skating as you did into that exaggerating, you'd be over here by now."-------Gilbert teaches Anne to ice skate. An appropriate amount of skating hijinks and fluffy romantic moments ensue.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 41
Kudos: 189





	Skating Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Rozmund for providing legal expertise on the necessity of fictional makeouts. I eagerly await the invoice. :P  
> Set during winter break of Anne's second year at Queen's.

"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea. This is much more difficult than I'd thought." Anne wobbled on her skates, her back rigid and her legs trembling.

"You've barely even stood up yet! Come on; it's easy once you get going, I promise. Here, take my hands, and just let me..." Gilbert slowly pushed off.

Anne inhaled sharply as the sensation of the ground moving under her rather than the other way around momentarily disoriented her. She gripped Gilbert's hands tightly and leaned forward, her back thrust out behind her.

"You'll over-balance, Anne; keep your back straight. There you are." Gilbert gave Anne that smile that never failed to make her heart do backflips or make thoughts of anything except him momentarily disappear. They glided for a few seconds more before they ran out of momentum. Gilbert pulled Anne's hands to draw her close, chuckling as Anne's arm's flailed just a little bit as she tried to keep her balance until she realized she could put her hands on his shoulders and pull herself to him.

"Maybe this isn't so bad," Anne admitted as Gilbert's arms wrapped around her waist. She couldn't keep from smiling as Gilbert leaned down to kiss her softly.

When he pulled back, Anne made the mistake of trying to go up onto her toes to follow him. One of her skates slipped, and Gilbert shifted one foot back and quickly leaned backward to lift her just off the ice before she could fall. As he set her back down, he murmured into her ear, "Why do you think I suggested this?"

Anne tried unsuccessfully to suppress a grin. "The same reason I went along with it, I suspect." She sighed ruefully. "That said, I do also want to actually learn to skate."

"Very well." Gilbert moved back just a little. "You're going to push out along with forward. I know that seems unintuitive, but... here, watch." He pushed off to skate past Anne and looped around her. Anne tried to turn to watch him, but caught herself before she could try to move her feet. She chewed her lip nervously as Gilbert repositioned himself just a few paces away. "I'm right here, Anne. Just push off once and you'll be skating into my arms before you know it."

"When you put it that way..." Anne took a deep breath and turned her skate just a little outward as she'd seen Gilbert do.

Gilbert watched, instructing only that Anne bend her knees a little. Anne pushed off slowly, not getting quite far enough that she could reach Gilbert, who moved back and told her to try again. Emboldened by success and perhaps just a little bit of pique at Gilbert's retreat, she pushed off again, harder this time. She wobbled a little bit, but glided up to Gilbert, grabbing his hands and smiling as he pulled her in. "Well done, love," he murmured, smiling down at her as Anne grinned back up at him, surprise, relief, and satisfaction in her expression in equal measure.

Her face fell however, when she realized: "I have to do that again, don't I?"

Gilbert chuckled. "I'm afraid so."

Anne sighed and pulled Gilbert's hands from around her waist. "Well, go on, then; I'll need someone to catch me."

"You're going so slow that you're practically stopping before I can grab you," Gilbert pointed out. "I think you just want me to hold you."

"I don't hear you complaining," Anne retorted playfully. She gave his chest a gentle shove. "Come on. I intend to tell Marilla I skated successfully today, and I'd rather that not be a lie."

Gilbert nodded and glided away.

* * *

Half an hour later, Gilbert and Anne stood at opposite ends of the pond.

"Not a chance." Anne didn't have to raise her voice go be heard across the frozen pond; Gilbert could hear her just fine.

"It's just like everything else you've done today! It'll only be a few more steps, Anne; I promise," he assured her.

"A few more steps?! You're _miles_ away! Leagues!" Anne pouted.

Gilbert laughed. "If you put half as much effort into your skating as you did into that exaggerating, you'd be over here by now."

"How dare you insinuate I had to put any effort into summoning those words! You take that back!" Anne cried.

Gilbert grinned, knowing Anne was attempting a distraction. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't working in the least. "Come over here and make me, then."

Well, that did it. Anne tossed her head and started forward. She crossed half the distance between herself and Gilbert before she saw the look on his face and realized what suddenly had him just a little bit panicked: he hadn't yet taught her how to stop.

"Gil, _move!_ " she yelled as the distance between them closed rapidly.

In retelling the story later, Gilbert would always maintain he didn't have the time, but Anne knew he'd stayed on purpose, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly as he half-sat, half-fell into the snow bank with a slightly surprised grunt.

"Gil!" Anne pushed against him until he released her, quickly rolling off to the side. "Gilbert, are you okay? Are you injured? Please, talk to me!"

Her pleas quickly abated when she realized he wasn't gasping for air from the impact, but from laughter.

"I think," he wheezed, "that we can definitely call your first skating lesson an unmitigated success."

Anne let out a soft laugh and relaxed back against Gilbert's shoulder, pulling his arm around her shoulders. "Yes, well, I had a good teacher."

Gilbert pulled Anne closer. "I didn't teach you the second most important thing in skating. I'm clearly not that good of a teacher."

With a sigh, Anne teased, "Well, good thing I'm the one who's going to be the actual teacher, then."

"You'll hear no argument from me," Gilbert told her before leaning in.

Anne let out a small noise as Gilbert's mouth met hers. She'd had to work harder than he had, and his lips were cold against hers for a brief moment, but Anne grabbed the front of Gilbert's jacket to pull herself closer and soon, neither of them had the notion to worry about the temperature or much of anything else.

After a moment, Anne nudged at Gilbert's lips just a little bit, then focused her attentions on his lower lip. Gilbert took his time getting the message, only just parting his lips or barely tilting his head until an increasingly impatient Anne slid her hand from Gilbert's jacket to the back of his neck. Her legs had remained across his, and now, Gilbert wrapped his free arm around Anne's waist to pull her into his lap, at the same time opening his mouth under hers. The two actions paired together had the rather delicious effect of eliciting a moan from Anne. The noise had Gilbert cursing the amount of layers they were wearing for keeping him from lavishing his attentions on Anne's neck so that he could hear it again when a whoop sounded from the trees.

They sprang back almost immediately, a little dazed and with lips unmistakably kiss-swollen. Anne ducked her head to untie her skates from her boots and avoid being asked questions by the Avonlea schoolchildren who had decided to stage a snowball fight nearby. Gilbert did the same before rising, and they both dusted as much of the snow from themselves as they could before taking their leave.

* * *

Mercifully, they were able to escape more or less undetected, and Gilbert pulled Anne's arm through his when they were on the main path home.

When the breeze picked up about halfway home, Anne stumbled and bit back a curse. "I don't mind skirts most of the time, but they certainly don't make moving easy on a day like today," she sighed. "I won't say that my poor skating owed entirely or even mostly to that, but it makes me think I really should invest in some trousers."

"Not that you need it, but the idea certainly has my enthusiastic approval," Gilbert told her.

Anne turned to smirk up at him. "Your _enthusiastic_ approval, is it?" she asked, her voice low with teasing.

"Very much so," Gilbert confirmed.

"Well, I've been saving up a little here and there from writing serials for the paper. I'll have to go talk with Miss Jeannie—she seemed supportive of the idea." Anne's expression clouded briefly as she remembered the circumstances of that discussion, but shook her head and continued, "If I'd had the idea sooner, I could wear them to Queen's, but I suppose university will have to do."

"You'll have company," Gilbert assured her. "Doctor Oak wears them fairly frequently, and my classmate Phil—Philippa, but she goes by Phil—makes sure to on days when we have some of the more old-fashioned professors to spite. She's looking forward to meeting you, and I'm sure she'd be all too happy to parade around campus with you so you can make a statement together." He squeezed her arm. "And I'll be just as happy to make a statement with you."

"Oh, you're going to take up wearing skirts then?" Anne teased, nudging his side.

"Neither of us wants that, Anne," Gilbert said dryly. "For one thing, I don't have the figure for it." He had to stop as Anne burst into laughter, pulling her close when she slipped on some ice on the path. "For another, I haven't heard any compelling argument to wear one, though I'll admit I haven't tried. And finally—" he leaned in to whisper even though no one was around "—I'd like to pull _you_ close by _your_ suspenders for once."

" _Gil..._ " Anne rose up onto her toes, pressing her mouth to Gilbert's in a hard but relatively chaste kiss. She started to pull away, but Gilbert wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her back in for another interminable kiss, and Anne wasn't about to protest.

* * *

They were near Green Gables when Anne decided she wasn't quite ready to let the day go just yet. She invited Gilbert in for hot chocolate, her grin widening when he readily accepted.

"We'll need to clean the snow off, though; it still looks as though we've been rolling around in a snowbank!"

"Well, we were, more or less," Gilbert reminded her. "Do you think Marilla will believe we decided snow angels were a good idea?"

Anne chuckled. "She's more likely to believe something a little closer to the truth, at least where I'm concerned. As for you... Well, hang your coat with the back facing to the wall while I distract her."

"Well, give me a moment to unbutton it here." They'd reached the fence. Anne looked around to see if Matthew or Jerry were out and about. She didn't see them, and they continued on to the house.

"I'm back, Marilla!" Anne called as they entered. "Might I be permitted to make hot chocolate for myself and Gilbert, please?"

"I'll get it started while you shed your outdoor things!" Marilla replied.

Anne flashed a relieved grin at Gilbert, who winked at her. The pair removed their coats and scarves, and made sure their boots wouldn't track anything further into the house. Marilla bade them come into the kitchen to chat with them until the milk and chocolate had heated enough. Gilbert gave a short progress report on how Dellie was doing before giving a glowing review of how Anne was coming along on ice skates, making only brief mention of their tumble.

He'd left and Anne was washing the dishes with Marilla drying when Anne could bear it no longer. "I wasn't nearly so good at skating as Gilbert made me out to be," she admitted.

Marilla laughed. "Oh, I know. Or rather, I suspected. You've developed a good deal of grace, but nobody is that good their first time on skates." She sighed. "But that boy loves you very deeply. He wouldn't lie otherwise. Don't worry; I'll pretend not to remember the next time he wants to give you a skating lesson."

Anne smiled and continued washing the dishes.

**Author's Note:**

> So, Rozmund requested it, and I went along with it, and this happened. I have no regrets; it was super fun. So many things just cropped up. Anne tackling Gilbert, Anne wanting to wear trousers, Gilbert considering skirts, the little bonus bit about Phil (Anne is definitely going to U of T for her B.A., and they become great friends), and the conversation with Marilla... basically the whole second half of this.
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts here in the comments, or on Tumblr, where I am js589. I promise I don't bite; I am just bad at social media.


End file.
